


Mental Support Abilities

by genesisArtificer



Category: Homestuck, MSPA Forums
Genre: Gen, Guide, Replay Value AU, SBURB, Sburb game AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-17
Updated: 2012-05-25
Packaged: 2017-11-05 13:18:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genesisArtificer/pseuds/genesisArtificer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disclaimer: To all of you that still hadn't read the FAQ – go there. Otherwise you will understand jack shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Timestamp 8

**Author's Note:**

> Please read this: http://archiveofourown.org/works/340777/chapters/551606

As you hopefully know, there are abilities in Sburb that influence mental health. There are plenty of them, you probably used them at least once, without even knowing. There is a good reason they are there. Probably there was once a competent person up there, and they had a bright idea that an apocalyptic game that makes you fight for your dear life and watch those close to you die may not be healthy for children (fun fact, according to data we collected, the mean age of a Sburb Player on her first run is 14,5 year or whatever alien equivalent you are using). That bright person coded those abilities into game, and is the only Coder that I would not rip to shreds should I meet them.

The truth is, Mental Health Abilities saved more lifes than even [This is not how it happened]. Without them we would all descend either into suicidal depression or gamebreaking megalomania. I will try to sum up our current knowledge of them: how to use, which Aspects are better at using them, which ones are the best, etc... I gave myself the liberty to group them by Aspect and group Aspects into three categories: Best, Good, and Bad. Obviously, Best Aspects dish out Support like a little hug machine, Good will do in most situations, and people with Bad Aspects are not equipped with them, or they are really shitty.

 **Best Aspects** include: Hope, Might, Heart, Mind, Light, Blood and Rhyme.  
 **Good Aspects** are: Rain, Mist, Rage, Breath, Stars, Life and Flow.  
 **Bad Aspects** are: Time, Space, Void, Doom, Dream, Fate, Law and **Sand**

 **Sand** gets a special mention. It embodies weakness, not only physical, but also weakness of the spirit. Those who wield Break like a sword or armour should not even talk to people, who need a Mental Support. Their mere Whisperings will weaken their mental health even further. Also, Sand is the only Aspect completely lacking Mental Support Abilities. They can be good friends, but they are shitty at consoling other people. Sorry, Sand Heroes, but this is a hard, nasty truth.

 

**Best Aspects for Mental Support:**

**Hope:** If you are the Hero of Hope, congratulations! Half of your abilities make you a competent Strifer, and the other half consist of the shitiest duty in the game. The Heroes of Hope should, according to a scrap of game lore courtesy of robustPhantasm, "give an arm to cry on, be a stable beacon of light on the ocean of grief". That more or less means that you have to be a therapist, and hear out all the complains and so on. You will not like this, but someone has to do this and you are made for this, believe me. The best, pluck efficient ability of Hope is [Wind of Hope]. You will learn it very early, and will use it till the end of the session. It is like a second wind of hope that will inspire someone else to keep going. Other neat abilities are [Make to Believe], or costly, but good [Wellspring of Inspiration] – save it for an rallying cry before final fight, when everything seems lost, and half of your team is permadead.

 **Might:** Yes, those guys. Their whole action hero schtick makes them an ideal target for hate, do you agree? Yet, at the same time they are inspiring and interested in teamwork like the cast of "Squiddles" (I can't believe I liked that cartoon as a kid). They will do friendship speeches. They will say things about fighting as one, respecting each other strengths. The best part? They really mean it, and it actually works. Might is an Aspect of strength of the team, of mental fortitude, an opposite of Sand. You will have to keep your Sand Hero away from the troubled Player, and you will want your Mighty to take care of them. Enter [Broseidon, King of the Brocean]. Yes, this is the name of this motivational atomic bomb. Yes, it is pluck-costfree. Yes, the sessions with a good Might Hero have second to none chance of Aggrievance among the Players. You would also like [Smells like a Wave Spirit], that removes (!) minor mental disorders after few uses.

 **Heart:** That should be obvious. Heart Heroes are very empathetic, thanks to their Soul Whisperings. They can modify your feelings, extinguish hate, dry tears and so on, as long as you allow them to mess with your shiny stuffing. Their most interesting Support Ability, [Heartlines] has an unique advantage that it can be chained – that means a Heart Player can use it on every other Player they have contact with. This is quite weird ability to distribute feelings equally to all Players in Heartlines network. If one of your Players borders on MeGaloVania, and the other suffers from clinical depression, linking them may actually do the trick, at least for a while. Heart Players have the knack for this feelings second market, so don't be scared if you are a newbie. You will get it after a while. Other useful abilities are: [Dawn of the Soul], [Heartiful Cry] and [Aria of the Soul], all of them worthy your attention.

 **Mind:** Or Hello Freud. They actually don't have support abilities that are comparable to [Broseidon], or [Wind of Hope], but their main advantage on a field of helping people is in attitude. They really are good with this therapy stuff. Mind Heroes are analytical, constantly looking inward for clues or inspiration. If they so choose, they can turn their [Blue Eyes] at your head, and pull some nasty shit from your past. Heirs and Wards are a Mind Hero field day. They are not the ones to go about Game Disorders, but the true life ones, like phobias or psychoses. And if you really need a Support Ability of a Mind Aspect, well [Stratosphere] gets a cake, as it makes you focused on a game goal, and not a mopey bullshit.

 **Light:** I kid you not. They are annoying and self-absorbed, but if they are sufficiently motivated to care, they can work wonders. Their Psych Support abilities are all useful, even if not plenty. And they have sick graphic effects, like pillars of Shine from the heaven enveloping both Players. Their best one is Pluck-costly, but highly efficient [Daylight is Never Wasted], a spirit lifting wave across the Medium (it also raises morale of either Prospitians or Dersites, depending of their Dreaming Moon, so try to restrict the use of this ability when your Light Player dreams Derse, or Black Side gets a bonus, and that is a big no). The close second is one Player only [Hello, Sunshine], that is quite funny, if a bit awkward to watch. It also endears the recipient of this ability to the Light Hero, that may be useful if dealing with a PK, so they may be not willing to kill. This is an obvious opening, and you should instantly launch [In Fading Lights] to make them kneel (and do other productive activities one should do to a Player Killer). [No one left behind] is a good team builder in absence of a Might Player. [Kiss of Lady Luck] is also a good support.

 **Rhyme:** They have [Ice Cream In The Veins]. That alone puts them in one league with Might and Heart. Yet they have other stuff useful to keep everone chill. Speaking of which [Chill like a Glacier] lowers Atomyk Meltdown counter (that is totally a thing that exists, it should be somewhere on our boards), while calming down hotheads like Flow Players. [To Cool To Cry], despite the douchey-sounding name is a good ability for reducing survivior guilt after loss of a coplayer. You will need it a lot, believe me. [Insanely Cool Posse] equalizes your group Chill Level to that of a Rhyme Hero (the Chill Level is a custom stat of Rhyme. Probably. Or maybe it's So Coooool stat, I don't know). As they are constantly calm and keep it cool, you will be grateful for this.

Next part comes in the next timestamp, good luck with your sessions!


	2. Timestamp 9

Ok, there is still one Aspect that belongs with the Best

**Blood:** Aspect of social cohesion. They have really neat Supportive Abilities. Like, Hope-level neat. Their abilities have unfortunately one weakness, albeit a critical one. Most Blood Support leaves them without Pulse-reinforcement. If you have a Combat-entitled Blood Player, that is not a thing you want. There is a vague rumour of a Knight of Blood that hardly ever had his reinforcement, becouse he prefered to calm down Jack Noir. I do believe he was dumb like a sack of hammers, if there is truth in that tale. That said, Blood still has awesome Support. This is the only Aspect that can, and will stop a Player Killer on a rampage as long as Blood Hero is linked to them. This Ablity is called [Blood Bros] and will disarm every violent impulse the target would feel for any other Player. However, if you try to do a sensible thing and kill them, Blood Hero loses link to Pulse forever. Another cool Blood power is [Lower the Tension]. It is one of the few abilities than doesn't rob the user of her invincibility, and works on all the Players in the Medium. [Blood Bonding] is cool too, as it reinforces Unbreakable Union, giving the participants bonuses to their sanity as long as their are together.

**Aspect that are Good for support:**

**Rain:** Rain: Probably half of you tossed your computing devices through the window when you read this. "But gA, Rainy dudes are all mad! Their whole schtick IS Madness! Bluh, bluh, dumb Seer". Yes, it hadn't escaped my attention that Rain Heroes are not exemplars of mental stability. Their assistance is not welcome if you have a Player that genuinely has a problem with mental health. Send those to Mind Heroes. However there are some problems that a Rain Player is uniquely suited for. If you have a mopey Player with a Title that seriously sucks, like Page of Time (Knight Syndrome makes dealing with a million deaths quite hard) or something like that, just hook them with a Hero of Rain. [Hardchorale] really IS therapeutic in that case. [Blue is the new Red] is another funny ability, if used with skill. It basically transmutes the SADS and FEELS in the boost of self esteem. How does it work? Only Rainy ones know, and they just giggle like a bunch of morons if you ask them.

**Mist:** Has intersting situation. A Mist Hero can bear the face of the one you had lost. This is called [Those Lost in the Fog]. It can be incredibly helpful, or cause the grieving Player to flip the fuck out. It is not bad Ability, you just have to do this with skill and lots of empathy. You can convince the mourinig Player to move on, and give them new resolve. Also, Mist Players have that advantage that they understand othes, as they are many things, including another Players. Expect a lot of feels.

**Rage:** Heh. Rage Heroes. They will not coddle you, or even care about your feelings. They will yell at you like a drill sargeant. They have a sensitivity of a plastic spoon. Yet, they will get the work done, and make you stand up tall, even if you man up just to spite them. The only thing they can't do well is treating MeGaLoVaniacs, cause they are not the people to be cowed into submission. [Stand Up] changes the mood from broody to angry, [We Will Make Their Life Hell] is good for rallying a party to attack a PK-er or a 'wraith that killed too many players (read more than zero). [Stop Hitting Yourself]... well this is just nasty, and has many offensive uses, but a Rage Player bent on making you stand up to them may use it.

**Breath:** The Aspect of Destruction can be a blessing if you have a single emotion that messes with your performance. They have few abilities that pretty much rip that thing outa you and let it go. Fair warning: you will regain this only at the begining of a new session, or if you let a Heart Player get their grubby fingers on your shiny. The ability that destroys your grief is [Everyone is Dust in the Wind]. If you are the Breath Player, and the only survivor of your session, use it on yourself, spare yourself the trauma. [Calm the Storm] destroys your anger. It also destroys your chance to Berserk, which may be a mixed blessing, and causes your strifing performance to plummet. Oh, and the Rage Players instantly Berserk when the abiliy is used on them. Wrath hates being messed with. [That Fleeting Feeling] is nasty, but sometimes, when the grief of losing someone you loved is to much to go, ripping that warm and fuzzy feeling is for the best.

**Stars:** They deal with acceptance. They make you deal with the harsh reality of permadeath, and they do it well enough. [Catching the Falling Sky] is pluck costly, but it makes you accept your feelings, and endure. Keep in mind, that doesn't make the sadness or anger go away, but equips you with the understanding, why are they good, and natural part of life. Don't do that trick on a Player Killer or the potential one, because it will give them excuses why they murdered all your friends.

**Life:** Has one ability that is really a gem, and a shitton of others than aren't even worth the mention.[Do You Remember Me]. It requires something that has sentimental value as a focus. It is basically "They would not like you to do this" as an ability that works. It can disarm any potential PK, or make a MeGaLoVaniac stop for a moment, if only cause of a sheer amount of WAFF (Warm And Fuzzy Feelings) that are flowing around. The Life Players themselves are good for consoling people, unless you have an intense hatred for a people that will fuss and mother the shit out of you. In a good way.

**Flow:** They will never stop. Never. God Tier PK on the loose? Nah. Witch pulled an Umbral Ultimatum? They will take it. Aggrievance? "Man, keep going, you mess with my style!" They are rough, but can motivate people almost as well as Might, they just don't have abilities to back the attitude. Their best shot is called [Don't Stop Me Now], and it is a love child of [Stand Up] and [Hello Sunshine!]. Basically it annoints you as an Unbreakable Union and you will have to deal with keeping up with them while covering their back. At the end of the day, you won't even remember why you were so mopey.


	3. Timestamp 10 and 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, sorry Void Players, no info for you, blame your Whis er ng , not me.
> 
> Finally the last chapter of the faq.

**Bad Aspects for Mental Support:**

**Time:** Time is a borderline case. It has nice morale buffs that affect only the Time Player (otherwise they would probably be a trainwreck by the end of the session). They have very small amount of useful Psych Support, that being [All the Time in the Medium] and [Time Heals All Wounds]. What makes them a Bad Aspect is that they often need help themselves. They won't be able to take all of your bullshit after a whole day of burying their corpses. Seriously, they have it worse than you. Always.

 **Space:** This Aspect is not lacking in psychic buffs, contrary to popular opinion. The problem with them is that they are all really Pluck-expensive, and there are so many better and cheaper abilities in all the other Aspects that Space Players don't even bother. Also their attitude doesn't help. They get annoyed when they should stay calm, they get sad instead of trying to console other people, they are completely unfazed by most of the chaos around them. It may be the fault of isolated upbringing that most of the Space Players had. Their best ability is [Cosmic Love], but unless they get the Tiger, they won't be able to even afford it, and it works only on a true love of a Space Player, so yeah.

 **Void:** [DATA EXPUNGED] with dedication for Null.

 **Doom:** Heh. They are quite specialized in providing Support. Doomkid will need no support and his or her morbid sense of humour will act as a shield against the shit that usually transpires within a session. They can annoy other Players with their jokes. Deal with them, cause they are last people to get Aggrievance after suffering the loss of their loved ones. Their support abilities that are worth of note are [Caustic Retort] that sometimes may snap people out their grief, but it also will enrage them if they have a poor sense of sarcasm, and [In Memoriam] that is more or less a feast in the name of the dead. They are also appointed by Skaia as conductors of burial ceremonies, and both Moons will honour their claim of entombing the body in the Crypt of the Moon. The experience may be quite cathartic.

 **Dream:** It really should not suprise you. They deal with order and perfection. It would be bad for them to show grief, there is nothing proffesional in tears. Dream Players have the nasty habit of bottling shit up. They may be a good target for Support, and you should watch how their attack manifest. If the dream-shapes are irregular or dull, there is something bad benath the surface. Dream does have some support abilities, but none of them are noteworthy, and all of them are unreliable.

 **Fate:** Fate works on impulses and it actively punishes you for trying to get rid of them. They rarely have shit pent-up (and if they do, just wait for them to finish their Maturity Quests). I don't reccomend trying to Support people, cause their Mental Health abilities can do more harm than good. For example: they can use [Fatechaser] to make you act on your impulse. To bad if you are mad at someone and you wish for them to get hurt. Please, keep in mind that being under effect of [Fatechaser] relieves you from second thought. Yes, that would mean a person on a bad day can become a PK. So, Fate Players, do everyone a favour and don't try to use this ability on other Players.

 **Law:** They never would admit that they have a problem. It is not lying in your face (that is Sands thing), they are just that bad at expressing that yes, they are hurt, they are in despair etc. Law deals with obfuscation and blindness, both as a weapon and as a personal challenge. They are honest with their opinions and matters of importance, formal even. You have to tune your feels-sensor up if you want to get a clue what they are REALLY thinking. Law Hero can get broody and sulky, descend into Underworld just for the atmosphere (this is the leading cause of Angel Corruption amongst Lawful Ones). Finding them is the challenge. If you do, they will know that you care and eventually will open for you. Their own abilities can be... interesting. [Velvet Gloom] unearths deeply hidden sadness and anger and helps you deal with them. [Legal Custody] is similar to [Don't Stop Me Now], but more limited and it won't let you forget about your problems. Law Heroes may require your attention but are rewarding as a partner in Unbreakable Union. You just have to learn how to make them trust you.

 **Sand:** It was already covered in the first chapter. A few words of advise for Sand Players that REALLY want to help. Your Aspect rewards indirect means of solving a problem. You are not the ones that hug the shit out of people. You shouldn't approach others that need support. I know you get upset, and it's okay if it is YOU that seek help, Break won't have a problem with that. What you can do for those miserable, mad and hopeless is, for example being a bodyguard, tearing Underlings that may want to use their weakness against them. You may give them Grist gifts or make nosy Agents to leave them alone. Remember, you deal with Weakness and Weakness is only yours to use, and if others try to abuse those Weak that are YOURS, you really should [Make Them Pay].

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Finally some free time, and finally the last chapter!))


End file.
